Mike Donovan - WOT

So Sic Alps are no more, but at least we have the new album from Mike Donovan. His debut solo album, Wot is a real winner. It's not the most daring of albums, or experimental, but it's really good fun, and it's hard to have anything against it. Hell, you'd really have to really enjoy finding pitfalls in musicality to really lay into Wot. It'll bring a smile to your face, and if this is its aim, then it succeeds pretty fucking well.

So Sic Alps are no more, but at least we have the new album from Mike Donovan. His debut solo album, Wot is a real winner. It's not the most daring of albums, or experimental, but it's really good fun, and it's hard to have anything against it. Hell, you'd really have to really enjoy finding pitfalls in musicality to really lay into Wot. It'll bring a smile to your face, and if this is its aim, then it succeeds pretty fucking well.

At times it can sound like a punk band being forced to play on acoustic guitars, and at others it can sound like an 80s funk fest. There's a real Beatles type feeling around a few songs, notably 'Sic Ballad' and 'Still In Town'. 'Sic Ballad takes on the most weight, although I guess we'll never know if it was recorded before or after the band's split, given the band broke up back in July, just shortly before Wot was announced.

'MP3 Farm' is a really fun how-down of at track, 'Do Do Ya?' is a really upbeat, sing-a-long pool of fun, built around a few key rock-riffs, and 'Baroque Ass' is a relaxed, moody, atmospheric bout noodling Americana. There are a few weaker tracks, notably the ones following on from album opener, 'New Fieldhand Bop'. 'New Fieldhand Bop', sets out the stall for the show nicely, with looped melodies and stripped back sounds, and a subversive twang running through it all. It's just a shame that the following two tracks kill the momentum of the opener, both being a little down and slight mood-killers. Donovan is much stronger when he's carrying you along on a wave of funk and fun, not so much when he's going a little bit the other way - it all comes over a little bit Nickelback.

There's not really a lot to be said about Wot. It's a fine example that Mike Donovan can make some really affecting tunes, even out of Sic Alps. It's slightly arguable that his solo efforts are more suited to the Drag City label, and I imagine he'll have support in that form for many years to come. If you're looking for something to sit back and enjoy without too much effort, you can't do much worse.